Why SEAT Matters: In Their Own Words
Every year I get asked some version of the same question: what makes SEAT different from every other conference in sports and entertainment technology?
I could give you my answer. But this year, I thought I’d let the people who actually build it speak for themselves.
Our Steering Committee members are working practitioners — CTOs, directors, analysts, and CX leaders from teams, venues, leagues, and technology companies across the industry. They don’t just attend SEAT. They shape it. They review session submissions, push for the topics that matter, and show up in Charlotte ready to share what’s actually working in their organizations.
So when we asked them why they were looking forward to SEAT 2026, their answers said everything.
It’s built by people who do the work
G.M. Ciallella, Digital Marketing & Analytics Manager at the Anaheim Ducks and a member of our Digital, Sponsorship & Ticketing Steering Committee, put it as plainly as anyone:
“This conference is not just about listening to motivational speakers or figureheads talk about their ideal state of business. I am looking forward to the sessions and conversations with those who do and have done.”
That’s the design principle behind every SEAT programme. Practitioners building sessions for practitioners. No one on stage talking about an ideal state they’ve never had to execute against.
Charles Curran of American Tower, a longtime contributor to SEAT, described it even more simply:
“It’s a family. I am proud to be part of that family.”
The conversations turn into real work
One of the things I’m most proud of is what happens after SEAT ends. The connections don’t stay in the room.
Bianca Gonzalez-Schulte, Director of Interactive Applications at NASCAR and part of our DST Steering Committee, came back to Charlotte with a story that captures it perfectly:
“Last year’s conference delivered real learnings, and one of the connections I made there with Noble has since turned into an active project we’re executing this season. That’s the best outcome a conference can produce.”
That’s what peer-to-peer community looks like in practice. Not just a business card exchanged at a happy hour — a project running in 2026 because two people sat in the same room in Nashville.
The room itself is the value
Chris Freet, EVP and Chief Strategy Officer at WMT Digital, from our Customer Experience Steering Committee and described the SEAT network this way:
“These are the leaders who will solve fragmentation in sports and entertainment. These leaders will orchestrate the future, and it’s inspiring to be on the ground with all of them for three days.”
Destiny Castro, Sr. Manager of CRM at New York City FC, brought a similar energy from the Data & Business Intelligence side:
“No gatekeeping, just working with some of the best of the best and learning how to make this industry better collectively.”
That openness — the willingness to share what’s working and what isn’t, without protecting turf — is what makes SEAT worth showing up for every year.
See you in Charlotte
SEAT 2026 runs June 28-30 at the Charlotte Convention Center.
Four tracks — Venue Technology & Security, Data & Business Intelligence, Digital Sponsorship & Ticketing, and Customer Experience — all built by Steering Committees of people like the ones quoted above.
If you’ve been before, you know. If you haven’t, there’s no better time.
Register and view the full agenda at seatconference.com.
See you in Charlotte, Josh